St. Louis police chief Sam Dotson, who is also in Kansas City, said he was disappointed that the court had chosen a "watered-down" gun docket.

"It's not about a speedy trial, but about outcomes," he said.

The votes followed more than an hour of debate on the merits of the proposal supported by the mayor, circuit attorney Jennifer Joyce, and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. In addition to giving most gun cases to two judges, the initial measure included more supervision for defendants before their case is tried, and if they were sentenced to probation or parole. All offenders whose cases went through the gun docket would also get a visit from a social worker.

But concerns about judicial independence and the proper role of the court seemed to carry the day.

"We are not the 22nd Circuit School of Social Work," said judge Robert Dierker, who championed the alternate proposal adopted by the judges. "I don't think it's appropriate to turn a courtroom into a lab."

Dierker was also critical of the intense publicity efforts by the mayor and chief of police. Other judges were concerned that those assigned to the gun docket would be influenced by political pressure

Joyce, the prosecutor, rejected that notion.

A quick look at the differences between Dierker's and Garvey's proposals for the gun docket.

"They do what they think is the right thing to do, and I think we see that here today as well," she said. All of us in public service are under scrutiny. In this day and age, everything is electronic. It;'s very easy for the public to see what's going on in the court system. That can't be a reason why we don't do reform."

Joyce said she had not closely reviewed Dierker's proposal, but was concerned that it lacked the extensive pre and post-trial supervision.

A spokeswoman for Mayor Slay, Maggie Crane, said city officials will be pushing for legislation at the state level that would implement their preferred version.

"We just think people deserve better. Law abiding citizens in this city deserve better," she said. "We think that reform will happen; we know it will happen because the public is insisting that it happen. So we don't need judge's permission to hold them accountable and make it happen."

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The Missouri Supreme Court is considering whether laws restricting actions by sex offenders and felons can be applied to people who were convicted before the laws were enacted.

The court heard arguments on Tuesday on five cases dealing with sex offenses and guns.

Three people are challenging whether a law passed in 2009 applies to them because they were convicted of sex offenses before the law was made. The law prohibits sex offenders from being near public parks with playgrounds or swimming pools.

US Senator Dick Durbin is proposing a carrot-and-stick approach to encourage police departments in Illinois to trace guns used in crimes.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives runs the internet-based system known as eTrace, which can tell investigators who first purchased the gun and where it was manufactured. But Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, says just half of the police departments or sheriff’s offices in Illinois use the system.